BARAMULLA, DEC 16: Legal Metrology Department (LMD) District Baramulla has started a special drive against those manufacturers and retailers of packaged goods who do not pass on reduced Goods & Services Tax (GST) rate benefits to consumers.

The move comes in the backdrop of last month’s Government decision of reducing GST rates on various products which were made effective from 15th of last month. Earlier, the Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI had relaxed the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 in order to permit manufacturers to revise the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of old stock of packaged goods in view of GST implementation.

The LMD office said that after the decision of lowering down of GST rates was implemented during the last month, the Department had asked the manufacturers to revise MRP of packaged goods as provided under Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 so that the benefits of GST rate reduction are passed on to consumers. Keeping that in mind, Legal Metrology Officer Baramulla has recently booked three companies in this regard.

According to LMD by not passing on the reduced GST rate benefits to consumers, most of the manufacturers and retailers are creating artificial retail inflation in the market which needs to be curbed. They warned that a strict legal action will be taken against traders who are indulging in such anti-consumer and unfair trade practices. Consumers of District Baramulla have been advised to register their genuine consumer grievances at following e-mail ID: [email protected]for speedy redressal.